Only a true athlete can defy gravity and ice

If you think that an ice show bursting with sequins, eye shadow, cut-down prom gowns and hip-hop music doesn't belong on a sports page, then you have never seen Scott Hamilton skate.

It's kind of like magic.

It's kind of like impossible.

What Scott Hamilton does with two knife blades attached to high tops rivals athletically anything I have seen in any of the more traditional sporting arenas of the world.

I actually think I could get some wood on an 85-mph fastball or toss in a 3-pointer -- if you give me enough chances.

And I have chipped in from 100 yards out -- just not lately.

But I could never in a million years in a million attempts do what Scott Hamilton does on the ice.

I could never whip across a slippery rink, do a back flip or a triple axel and land on those thin blades wearing a smile. Never. I know this. It is something I must live with.

Scott Hamilton, a world and Olympic champion, is athletic, daring, amazing, and he, along with the cast of "Stars on Ice" that will hit Tingley Coliseum at 7:30 tonight, will mesmerize you with their art.

They will be graceful.

They will be beautiful.

They will be enchanting.

And, sure, all this frilly stuff is a part of figure skating that doesn't help it make the sports pages, but that doesn't mean this ice dancing isn't an athletic event.

Sure, it might be a well-disguised sport and it might be more of a sport in an Olympic year, but it is still sport. really.

And if you watch Scott Hamilton do his thing, you will be convinced that you are seeing a world-class athlete in action. Maybe more than any skater, Hamilton has done more to bridge the gap that has separated figure skating from real sports since, well, since Sonja Henie won the gold in the 1928, 1932, and 1936 Olympics.

The hurdles figure skating must clear to land safely in the arena of real sports are obvious ones.

In real sports, you don't hand the guys roses, especially if they don't come in first.

In real sports, your most compelling question in the locker room is never, "Who stole my hair spray?"

In real sports, there is usually some sort of one-on-one confrontation or physical contact. Often you hit your opponent. (Sorry the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan thing doesn't count.)

In real sports, makeup, hairstyles, music and sequins aren't considerations in awarding points.

But don't you ever think what Scott Hamilton does on skates is less athletic than, say, bobsledding. Hanging onto the waist of the guy in front of you will never compare with completing a triple axel followed by a triple toe touch.

And the beauty and grace of these athletes is unquestionable. Did I mention that Tara Lipinski, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Ekaterina Gordeeva will be at the Tingley tonight?

Sure, what will happen at Tingley has to go down more as entertainment that sports.

There will be no judging, no competition, not much pressure.

The ice dancers will move to the music of Santana, the Steve Miller Band, Paul Simon, Prince, Ricky Martin and others.

The costumes will be gaudy, garish, tight and skimpy.

It will be rock 'n' roll on frozen pond.

But if you think these aren't world-class athletes out there,then ask yourself this simple questino after you see Scott Hamilton do a back flip and come down on two thin blades: